


Warm Magic

by DarkCellar



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), kylux - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Crush, Awkwardness, Brendol Hux - Freeform, Crush, Crush at First Sight, Developing Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Eventual Happy Ending, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Funny, Gay, General Hux - Freeform, Implied Kylux, Implied Relationships, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Kylux - Freeform, Love, M/M, Poor Hux, Protective Kylo Ren, Romantic Gestures, Secret Crush, Senpai Notice Me, Short & Sweet, Short Story, Soft Kylux, Some Humor, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) - Freeform, Supportive Kylo Ren, The First Order, The Force Awakens, Unrequited Crush, supreme leader snoke - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 16:41:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12236718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCellar/pseuds/DarkCellar
Summary: General Armitage Hux can handle a lot of things, and in most instances, he solves all problems with impressive ease.But that isn't always the case.There is one person in the entire galaxy with whom Hux can't seem to get along with, no matter how hard he tries: his father, Brendol Hux.The older man comes for a brief visit and employs all his resources to test his son's strength and patience. The only thing that gets Hux though the week is the surprising support from a certain raven haired Force user.A man who Hux has worked with for a great many years.A man who unknowingly bears the brunt of Hux's deep, unrequited(?) feelings toward him.





	Warm Magic

Hux sat in the conference room before a meeting with one of his Captains. At the recommendation of Snoke, Captain Hethe was being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. As was customary in telling someone of a rank promotion, both he, and Lord Kylo Ren, were present to deliver the happy news.

The woman was running late, however, so Hux sat and quietly perused his data pad while waiting. A few chairs away from him, Kylo did the same.

Or, he HAD been doing the same.

Glancing up now, Hux noticed that Kylo appeared to be watching him. Or at least, Hux thought he was. With that karking helmet, it was rather hard to tell.

Hux had had extremely strong (and confusing) feelings for Lord Ren almost since the day they had met. From a professional standpoint, Kylo was a complete nightmare. He could be loud, and arrogant, and the man went through more mood swings than Hux would have thought possible. He could go from being upbeat one moment to petulant the next.

And his anger was legendary.

He would have impressive fits of rage, accompanied by bursts of destruction, more often than Hux would have liked.

Yet there was a flip side to that.

During the infrequent times that Hux had gotten Kylo Ren completely alone, and in a decent mood, he had discovered quite a different man hiding beneath the voluminous robes.

That man was smart, and kind, and funny.

That man had an intoxicating charisma that Hux had never encountered in anybody else before.

That man -- was a man that Hux wanted to get to know better.

 **Much** better.

But he never quite had the courage to approach Kylo with his desire, both out of fear, and doubt. Better to leave things uncomplicated, the way they were, than to put his true feelings out there and face a possible rejection.

But still, there were times when he felt that Kylo might want the same thing that he wanted.

Or perhaps that was just wishful thinking.

Still, 'hope' is a hard concept to kill off entirely, so Hux continued to live in hope that one day, things would change between them.

Yet that day, if it came at all, likely wouldn't arrive anytime soon.

Kylo began talking quietly to him now, perhaps uncomfortable with the very long silence, and Hux quickly put his usual stern expression on his face.

"General. Snoke tells me your father is coming to visit in a few days."

Hux nodded, his eyes glued to his data pad. "So it would seem."

Kylo was silent, and then: "You don't seem terribly excited. If MY father was coming for a visit, I'd be most enthusiastic."

This may have been what passed for a jest in Kylo's (somewhat warped) mind: Kylo had killed his father just last year.

Instead of commenting the obvious, Hux merely said, without looking up,

"Unfortunately we don't see eye to eye on many things. Yet he's one of the Supreme Leader's most trusted allies, so --"

Kylo nodded to show that he understood what Hux meant.

The First Order had control over countless star systems in the galaxy. Some they had to take by force, but quite a few pledged themselves willingly, drawn to Snoke's power and the promise to restore order to the chaos left in the wake of the Galactic empire.

Hux's home planet of Arkanis was one of those that went willingly, eagerly into the Order. Hux's father, the former emperor, was instead made acting-regent, and his mental prowess and cunning strategizing had garnered quite a few other neighboring planets for Snoke, as well.

Hux had lived under the shadow of his father's legacy all his life, and strove to build his own. He began working for Snoke as a Captain, but once Snoke saw for himself that the son possessed the father's talents, he quickly rose through the ranks to become General.

And he was proud of himself, and what he and his officers had accomplished.

Yet it seemed that no matter what he did or achieved, his father never had a word of encouragement or praise for the younger Hux. To him, General Hux would always be, simply, Armitage; the son whom he often described to others as "thin as a slip of paper, and just as useless."

Learning that his father was coming now gave Hux no joy whatsoever in his heart. He hoped to get through the visit (and the inevitable criticism) as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Instead of saying all this to Kylo, he simply stated, "He'll only be here for a week. I'm sure you'll enjoy his presence, at least. You know, his father was an admiral that served Emperor Palpatine, and, indirectly, Lord Vader. I'm sure he'd have lots of stories to tell."

Before Kylo could respond, the Captain walked in the room, and the business that they were there to take care of commenced.

When everything was finished, and they sent the ecstatic new Lieutenant on her way, Kylo stood up and stretched.

"I have to go. I have to pick up the new boots I ordered from our merchants on Farsis."

Hux frowned. "Why are you going? Am I mistaken, or don't we have countless stormtroopers that could do this most menial of tasks FOR you?"

Even with the helmet on, Hux was suddenly positive that Kylo was grinning at him.

"I need to go myself because the last time I sent a trooper, they came back with the wrong boots. My boots are specially engineered for combative Force training, and nobody would know what they look like but me."

Hux nodded and looked back at his data pad. "Makes sense, I suppose. Will you be back before the drill this evening?"

"I'll be back in plenty of time."

Now, Hux could feel Kylo's eyes on him once more.

"If you aren't particularly busy, you should come with me."

Hux looked up, and immediately felt his heart sprint into a gallop at Kylo's words. To be completely alone with him, away from this base, in Kylo's beautiful sleek ship . . .

And then he quickly, regretfully came to his senses.

"Lovely of you to offer, Ren, but I'm afraid I've got too much work I need to complete today."

Kylo nodded once, then swiftly walked away and down the hall, towards the direction of the ship hangar.

He asked you to go with, because he wanted to be alone with you, too., his mind whispered excitedly.

Stop it, Hux. He was just being nice.

But, once again, hope is a very hard thing to kill. Especially when it takes the form of a tall, enigmatic Force user whose ((real)) voice ALONE had the power to make you go weak in the knees.

\---

When the ship arrived, Hux stood outside, dressed in full uniform. To his left stood Kylo Ren, and in front of them, Supreme Leader Snoke.

Hux felt so nervous that he wondered if he was going to pass out. Snoke didn't seem to notice but Kylo apparently did, because he leaned over and whispered "calm down" to the anxious redhead.

At last the ship touched the ground, and his father's advisors exited he ship first, bowing respectfully to the Supreme Leader.

And, suddenly, there he was.

Tall, and still quite broadly built despite his advanced age. The hair that had once been the same shade as Hux's own had gone a distinguished gray, and he had grown a full beard since the last time Hux had seen him. His ice-blue eyes took in his surroundings with his familiar, calculating stare. They landed, for just the briefest of moments, on his son, and Hux felt rooted to the spot.

"Supreme Leader," he said in his deep, gruff voice, bowing before Snoke, "It is an honor to be in your presence again, Sir."

Snoke smiled and put his hand on Brendol Hux's back. "The honor is all mine, my friend."

He turned around and gestured to where Kylo stood.

"Brendol, I'd like to introduce you to my apprentice, Lord Kylo Ren. I'm afraid the last few times you were here, I had him engaged in other business and therefore unable to meet you."

Brendol looked Kylo up and down, and offered him a firm handshake.

"You're the grandson of Darth Vader, are you not?"

Kylo nodded.

"Well, then, the Supreme Leader has made a wise choice. The Skywalker legacy is an impressive mantle to wear. I'm sure you're just as talented as your grandfather had been."

Kylo offered no comment, he merely nodded.

He had yet to speak to his son, and Supreme Leader said, with a smile,

"I'm sure you want to catch up with Armitage. I'll leave him to show you and your men to your quarters, and after, I expect you all to join me for dinner."

Everybody bowed as he left, and Brendon's men went back to the ship to unload, leaving Hux temporarily alone with his father.

"It's good to see you again, Sir," Hux said, offering his hand.

His father grasped it briefly in one of his crushing handshakes.

"It's been five years, Armitage. I'd have thought you'd have put on a little weight by now. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, an imposing figure is just as important as a sharp mind."

Hux simply nodded, not feeling up to arguing just yet.

When the men came off the ship, he began to lead them all to the guest quarters, pointing out various buildings along the way that had meaning or significance.

"Those men that we just passed, are they not your subordinates?"

Hux looked back at the two lieutenants they had walked by.

"They are."

"Then why did they not salute you?"

"I don't require such behavior from my men."

Brendol frowned at his son with heavy disapproval.

"You run too loose a ship, Armitage. A good leader elicits a certain amount of fear and submission from his men. A lax attitude is the first step towards future mutiny."

"My men and I share a mutual respect, father. It makes for a far more beneficial relationship than pure fear."

By now they had reached Brendol's quarters, and the older man shook his head in disgust.

"Still weak-minded, I see. Well, I suppose I should thank you, Armitage. In such a time of galactic instability, I suppose it's refreshing to know that some things never change."

He walked in and shut the door behind him.

Hux stood staring at the closed door for so long that he all but went to sleep there. Then he quickly walked away and went to his own quarters, to prepare himself for dinner.

\---

The entire week proved to be a lesson in extreme patience for Hux. His father was allowed to sit in on multiple meetings and drills to observe his son in action, and he never let an opportunity pass to criticize, reprimand, or in some cases, downright humiliate his son.

One incident proved to be particularly brutal.

Hux had called two captains into his office, to reprimand them on their behavior. The two were romantically involved, and had been observed showing affection to each other in public places.

While the First Order did not prohibit romance or courtship between its members, there was a strict set of rules in place regarding professionalism and codes of conduct. It was that, that Hux was lecturing them on now.

Brendol Hux was also present, sitting in the corner and observing the way Hux handled the situation. Right in the middle of a point Hux was making, he interrupted,

"Perhaps you're being too harsh on them, son. After all, YOU were nearly expelled from Academy for what you did with that girl, and that was for far worse behavior than what you have these two here for."

Hux felt himself turn a deep, angry red.

"Father. I fail to see how that ancient tale has any bearing on the present-day situation."

So Brendol proceeded to tell the two captivated Captains the tale of how, a long time ago, Hux had been caught in the throes of passion with a young lady from the neighboring female Academy. The incident had left the girl with a harmful reputation, and had destroyed what had been a beautiful friendship between them.

And Hux had it no easier.

His father, of course, was called, and made no waste of time berating Hux for his lack of control. The offense was such that Hux had faced expulsion, and it likely would have happened, if Brendol Hux didn't have considerable influence in the academic board.

Nevertheless, the incident had scarred Hux in a number of ways, and it was something he preferred to keep locked in the back of his psyche. To hear his father tell Hux's subordinates this now was both infuriating and humiliating.

It was all Hux could do to remain calm as he dismissed the Captains, then watched as his father left without so much as a word of apology.

He could feel the anger rising in him, higher and higher.

He turned and punched the wall behind his desk. Being steel, it did not give the way Hux had envisioned it would, and his fist immediately crumpled in pain.

He shook it out and groaned in agony.

This was perfect: now he would have to go to Med Bay, and likely be put in a cast. Another thing for his father to notice and critique.

He resigned himself to go, and headed for the door, when Kylo Ren stepped in, blocking his exit.

Without saying anything, he gently peeled the glove off of Hux's damaged hand, and put both of his own hands over it, enclosing it firmly.

Hux felt a strong, electric warmth spread around his hand, flooding it. Soon, too soon, Kylo let go and stepped back.

"Is that better?"

Hux shook out his hand experimentally. It WAS better. Better than better; it was completely healed.

"How did you do that?", he asked, moving his fingers back and forth.

Kylo shrugged. "Part of my training. No big deal."

Now he picked up Hux's hand again, and, to Hux's surprise (and delight), he put Hux's glove back on himself.

"Are you okay now?", he asked when he was finished.

Hux nodded. "More than okay; from now on, I'm going to come to you with every ailment I have," he said, jokingly.

Kylo chuckled. "That's good, but that's not what I meant. I mean, are you okay, now?"

Understanding what he meant, Hux sighed a little before answering, "Not really. But I'll live."

Kylo nodded. He seemed rather hesitant, and Hux wondered why.

"Well, uh, just so you know, I understand what you're going through. If you ever want to talk, you'd be welcome to stop by my quarters."

Hux looked at him, and almost felt like there was more to that simple offer than met the eye.

Just like that day when he tried to get you to go with him to pick up his boots. It almost seems like -- like, he WANTS to spend time with you.

But Hux threw that idea away almost as soon as it arose. It was ridiculous to think that, or to think that Kylo's (admittedly strange) friendliness had anything to do with actual feelings.

Right?

"Thank you, Ren, but I'll be fine."

Ren nodded and quickly left the room, his cape swirling out artfully behind him.

It was only when Hux began to gather up his papers that the thought occurred to him:

Technically, Kylo Ren had held his hand.

**Twice.**

\---

Another meeting, this one being a fairly standard budget meeting that Snoke had suggested Brendol sit in on.

Hux gave his usual opening address, speaking about where there financial situation was, and where it needed to be.

He began outlining his list of suggestions for expenses they could cut out or reduce, and when he was done, he opened the floor for comments.

But before anyone else could speak, Brendol spoke up, loudly.

"You truly believe that your proposal completely eliminates the unnecessary from the budget?", he asked, with a slight air of contempt. "What about staff or personnel cutbacks? What about the ludicrous extras, like the stormtrooper common area?"

"Sir, I don't believe that would be a very prudent idea to enact. Things like the common area provide our troops with a much needed sense of moral. Our men make numerous personal and professional sacrifices as it is. I believe that --"

"Oh, nonsense, Armitage. As usual, you're not seeing the bigger picture. Now, what I'D suggest is . . ."

His father proceeded to ramble on and on about what he felt could improve the budget, and what could be cut. After a solid 30 minutes of hearing his monologue, Hux subtly put his own notes aside with a sigh. He highly doubted he'd get another chance to speak on them before Brendol was through.

He got through the rest of the meeting by chanting, repeatedly, to himself: two more days, two more days, he's only here for two more days, Hux, get a grip on yourself, just two more days.

He glanced up and noticed that Kylo was turned in his direction. This time, there was no mistaking that he was looking directly at Hux.

He had probably heard Hux's mantra, and was wondering at it.

Well, for once, Hux couldn't bring himself to care whether Kylo, or anybody else for that matter, thought he was crazy.

Eventually, finally, the meeting ended. His father walked out with several of Hux's officers, taking and laughing and completely ignoring his son.

Everybody else began to file out of the room as well, and Hux waited until the last person had left before he allowed himself to put his head in his arms. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Suddenly, "only two more days" felt like an intolerable lifetime.

He could feel a scream rising it's way up his throat, and this time, there was nothing he could do to hold it back. Without raising his head, he let it out, the guttural sound echoing around and around the small, quiet room.

When he was finished, he slowly lifted his head --

\-- and was very startled to find that Kylo Ren had, at some point, come back into the room and was now sitting across from him, hands folded on the table, head tilted thoughtfully.

It was quiet as the two men stared at each other. Hux didn't know what to say; he had never let anyone see him release his emotions in such a manner before.

And then Kylo Ren did something he had never done before, outside of Snoke's chambers.

He reached up and unhooked his helmet, pulling it off his head and setting it on the table in front of them.

Hux's eyes went dreamy with admiration, He had seen Kylo's natural face before, of course, but each time seeing it was like the first time. Kylo's face was like a moving, breathing painting, beautiful and expressive.

Maker, he looks so **good** , Hux thought to himself, and then immediately pushed the thought from his mind. He knew that Kylo could read thoughts, but whether it was something he did continuously or only when he wanted to, Hux was unsure. Either way, it meant Hux needed to control what he was thinking about.

Kylo used his fingers to fluff out bits of hair that the helmet had flattened, and as he did so he cleared his throat a number of times, preparing to speak.

"He's wrong, you know. Both of you are. What he thinks of you, and what you've started thinking of yourself. Completely wrong."

It was a statement, but to Hux, it came out sounding more like a question. And he felt odd, that Kylo was bothering to comment on this at all.

Instead of verbally answering, Hux just nodded and looked away.

It was silent, and somewhat awkward, for a few moments after that. Then Kylo spoke again, his voice decidedly softer.

"Your father will continue to treat you this way, until you take action."

Without being aware that he was going to answer back, Hux heard himself say "Like what? Murder him? I'm afraid patricide isn't really one of my strong suits."

He looked nervously at Kylo then, expecting him to get angry. After all, what Hux had just said was an obvious dig at him, because Kylo HAD committed patricide.

Instead, amazingly, Kylo was SMILING. It spread slowly across his face like the sun moving across a field.

Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump.

"Murder of any sort is a bit extreme, General Hux. Sometimes, all a retractor needs is a good, solid scare."

As if deciding he had said too much, Kylo picked up his helmet and slid it back over his head.

He stood up from his chair and crossed the room to where Hux was sitting and watching him warily. Kylo unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and set it down on the table in front of Hux.

"Then again, sometimes you have to make your own judgment on things," Kylo said in his distorted voice.

Before Hux could move or respond, Kylo patted his shoulder and then walked out, leaving the saber behind.

Hux sat stock-still for quite a bit after that, staring at the saber and thinking over Kylo's words. After awhile, he picked up the saber, held it carefully put from him, and turned it on.

The growling, glowing weapon made for a wonderful tingling feeling in his arm, as he experimentally moved it back and forth through the air.

Just holding it made him feel strong. Confident.

Powerful.

He turned it off and slipped it into his pocket with a grin.

It was time to pay his father a visit.

\---

"Father, we need to talk."

It was several hours later, and Hux had decided he was calm enough to go to his father's room to talk to him.

His father was sitting and reading one of his books, and barely looked up when his son started to speak.

"If its about the notes I have for you on your meeting, you may come back for them in the morning. Dismiss."

Remaining calm, Hux pulled up a chair directly in front of his father's.

"Put down that book. When I'm speaking to you, you will give me your full attention."

Brendol looked up in confusion, then slowly laid his book down.

"Armitage, what is the meaning of --"

"No. Right now it's my turn to speak. You've done enough pointless talking to last you quite a while."

Brendol stood up angrily, and pointed a finger into his son's chest.

"I don't know who you think you are, boy, but NOBODY --"

Hux swiftly withdrew Kylo's saber from his pocket and ignited it, holding it carefully at his side. His father's eyes went wide with shock, going back and forth between the flaming sword and his son.

For the first time ever, Hux saw fear in the old man's eyes.

"Sit down," he said, still calm, "And listen to what I have to say."

Brendol sat back down, not taking his eyes from Hux's face.

"This entire time you've been here, you've done nothing but disparage me to my superior, to my men, and anybody else who will listen. But it ends right now. For the rest of your stay here, you will acknowledge that you are under MY command and MY leadership. Any word of criticism you may have is not appreciated or desired. You will respect me in front of my men and in front of Snoke. If you have a problem with any of that, then I will have the guards escort you out of here right now. I'll pack your bag myself. Am I understood?"

"Armitage, I--"

Hux took u the saber and deftly sliced the back legs off of the chair his father was sitting him, sending him tumbling roughly backwards. He then switched off the saber and returned it to his pocket. He leaned over the spilled chair with his hand on either armrest, looking solemnly into his father's face.

"I repeat; am I understood?"

His father, for once at a loss for words, merely nodded, unable to look Hux in the eyes.

Hux turned and left the room without another word, leaving Brendol Hux staring in amazement after him.

Hux was all the way down the hallway before he realized that he was smiling.

\---

He knocked timidly on Kylo's door. After a few minutes, Kylo opened it, and Hux was treated to another unusual sight: Kylo Ren wearing normal clothes.

Instead of the robes, cowl and helmet, he was dressed simply in a lightweight pair of pants and a muscle shirt (all black, of course).

Hux had always suspected that Kylo was in the peak of physical fitness. He should be, after all, considering that he spent at least 75% of any day physically training with Supreme Leader Snoke.

Still, always covered up with the long robes, Hux had had no idea just HOW fit Kylo was. The muscles rippled from his arms to his thighs, some barely concealed animalistic strength just below the surface. Hux could see that the moles Kylo had on his face extended to his upper arms and partly down his chest, giving his pale skin a darkly dynamic appeal.

It took Hux a moment to remember why he had come. For some reason, seeing Kylo dressed so--so casually, had knocked all the thoughts clean out of Hux's head.

Noticing that Kylo was staring at him, waiting for him to speak, Hux hastily took the lightsaber out of his pocket.

"Here," he said, holding it out to him. "Thank you for letting me borrow it."

Kylo took it, still staring at Hux.

"You -- were able to make some use of if?"

Hux nodded. "I was. You know, I don't know if my father will ever respect me, but I know for sure that, from now on, he'll keep his comments to himself."

He was about to turn away and leave, when Kylo said, sounding uncharacteristically shy, "Hux?"

"Yes?"

"Did I neglect to mention, that there's a price for using my lightsaber?"

"Oh?", said Hux, turning back towards him. "What is it?"

Kylo smiled, again, and Hux's heart gave an uneven little flop at the utter beauty of it.

"The price is: you have to come inside and talk to me for a while," he said in a mock-serious tone of voice. At the same time he stepped a little further outside of his door and laid a hand on Hux's arm, as if to prevent him from getting away. The unexpected contact made Hux's already-pounding heart jump around even faster.

"Talk about--?"

"Anything at all."

So Hux smiled and followed Kylo through the door.


End file.
